Japan Disaster Pounds Hawaiian Tourism Hard
Japan Disaster Pounds Hawaiian Tourism Hard
Tourist arrivals in Hawaii have slowed as problems from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami continue to unfurl and radiation concerns mount. Booking slowdowns from U.S. travelers, Hawaii’s main visitor market, are adding to damage brought about by thousands of cancellations from Japan.
Some members of the state’s visitor industry also are concerned that travel could drop from the emerging China and Korea markets because much of Hawaii’s business from there depends on flight connections in Japan. And, outbound travel sellers are feeling the pinch, too, as Hawaii residents cancel trips to see Japan’s famous cherry blossoms.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts anticipates bookings for April and May in Waikiki will come in 25 percent to 30 percent lower than anticipated, said Keith Vieira, senior vice president and director of operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawaii and French Polynesia.
The chain has experienced thousands of cancellations, especially on the group side, from Japan, Vieira said. The Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Outrigger Hotels & Resorts also have reported significant Japan decreases.
Japan Airlines has experienced a 10 percent decrease in passengers to Hawaii through the end of March, said spokesman Winston Lee. Golden Week, one of the top three travel periods for Japan, had been expected to peak — with growth in the high double-digits — from April 29 to May 3.
The drop in the Japanese market, which supplied about 17.3 percent of 2010 statewide visitor arrivals, will have broader impacts. Even more troublesome, however, are the signs of a downturn in the U.S. market, which totaled nearly 65 percent of all visitors to Hawaii last year.
Pleasant Holidays, Hawaii’s largest wholesaler, saw cancellations rise when three of its partner hotels, the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, the Kona Village Resort and the Four Seasons Hualalai, sustained significant damage, said Jack Richards, president and chief executive officer of California-based Pleasant Holidays LLC.
